Ericsson unveils IP media delivery network

Ericsson launched the Media Delivery Network (MDN), a media-centric network that supports multi-channel TV, video-on-demand, and over-the-top video content from the same core infrastructure. The MDN includes products for distribution and delivery, caching, storing, streaming, transcoding and the content management system (CMS). It also enables targeted advertising and fast channel changing across any platform to any screen. By combining a content distribution network with Ericsson's broader TV portfolio, this media-centric product is designed to enable operators and broadcasters to drive new revenues from the growth in video traffic without increasing network costs. The Ericsson MDN enables operators to deploy services that overcome issues caused by increasing video traffic in their networks. Ericsson intends to become the change agent for the television industry by helping broadcasters, programmers and operators forward the development of TV. Ericsson's vision of the future of TV is a mass market where communications and entertainment converge and become a very individual experience. IP video is expected to represent more than 90 percent of network traffic in the next few years as online video grows rapidly and more consumers embrace on-demand entertainment, according to Ericsson. At present, the figure lies between 35 and 60 percent, depending on the country. The amount of over-the-top video traffic carried in operator networks will grow significantly as consumers desire a higher-quality and on-demand TV experience as well as endless content choices within an unbound connected world, Ericsson forecasts.